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Today consumers and business owners alike view the internet as an integral part of their decision making process and experience. Whether they buy products or services online or in brick & mortar, they use the internet to search for and learn more information about the business, services, and products available. Accordingly, content that isn’t backed up by a strong SEO strategy won’t survive in today’s competitive digital marketplace.
Search Engine Optimization is a strategy that includes almost every aspect of building a website and content development. When everything is done right and effectively, it creates an impeccable user experience for the user, further building their trust in the company and its credibility.
One of the main goals of SEO is to exemplify your website’s value to search engines. When search engines know a website’s value, its pages automatically rank highly for queries relevant to its content. The real importance of SEO comes from its power to help searchers find your website easily.
While making sure your website is SEO optimized and user friendly is no easy task, we have compiled 10 SEO essentials to learn the techniques you need for your website to end up on the first page of search results.
1- Optimize for search engines…and humans:
Find keywords and update your old content while making sure that your copy doesn’t sound to robotic for your audience to engage with.
2- Relevancy is key:
Search engines automatically prioritize newer content. Make sure you update your old content with recent research and statistics frequently.
3- Optimize for speed:
The optimal website load time from 2-5 seconds. However, 40% of internet users reported that they would leave a website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load.
4- A picture is worth 1000 keywords:
Providing visuals for your website like infographics, videos or photographs, is the next best way to enhance an article or webpage. This can improve your SEO and make the reading experience enjoyable for your audience.
5- Take meta-descriptions seriously:
Make sure your articles are being found. Think of meta descriptions as a first impressions of your website for both your audience and Google; if it doesn’t include all the relevant information, it will go unnoticed.
6- Upload an XML sitemap:
XML sitemaps ensure that your new content gets found as quickly as possible. They help Google navigate and index all your pages.
7- Content length is important:
Content with 1500+ word range tends to rank higher, but you still need to make sure you are answering the questions your readers are asking and not just stuffing unnecessary words.
8- Titles & header tags:
These two things should be your main focal point. The best place to place your keywords is in your title and header tags for a positive SEO ranking.
9- HTTPS is the new HTTP:
Avoid being deemed as a “not secure” website by Google. Switch to HTTPS to protect your visitors’ private information and rank higher on search engines.
10- Internal linking for top-notch SEO:
Linking to relevant content that’s already on your site helps increase link equity throughout your website, as well as improve bounce rate, page views and time spent on site.
If you’re interested in upping your SEO efforts or even just getting started, contact us today to schedule a meeting and know more about how ripplemark can help your business.